Blind to the World
by Cosmokitt
Summary: Simone's life is torn apart when the Phantom of the Opera himself rips her from her home and from the comfort she has known all her life. As the two of them travel together, they learn that there is far more to each of them than they ever anticipated.
1. Chapter 1

Simone drew back the curtains to her sitting room window sullenly, wondering when her fiancé would return from work. She pulled her lacy shawl around her shoulders tightly, shivering against an invisible breeze. Paris had been in chaos the last few days, due to the opera ghost incidents, and she wanted Émile to make it home safe. He should have been home by now, and she was getting worried.

"Are you in need of anything?" A maid entered the room, curtsying as she approached. She was maybe five years younger than Simone, putting her at around twenty years old, and had curly blonde hair that was tied into a loose braid.

"No thank you, Emilie." Simone waved a hand, dismissing the girl. She ducked her head and left the room. Simone turned back to the window to continued moping and wondering.

Finally at about half past ten, a carriage pulled up to the house, a familiar blonde head appeared, laughing and sharing with his footman. Simone breathed a sigh of relief and watched as they brought the horses around the side of the house to the stables.

Émile entered the house and was surprised to see that Simone was still awake.

"My love," he said, hanging his heavy coat off to a servant, "there was no need for you to wait up this late,"

"I was worried," Simone admitted, feeling a little silly now that she saw him home safe and sound. There was no reason that the mess at the opera house should interfere with Émile being safely returned to her. "With everything going on,"

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm glad you care so for my safety."

"Of course I do!"

Even though she did not really love him, she had accepted that he was the only man who would marry her, despite the riches her family had, and despite all of her...issues.

He kissed her softly. "Your brother was being a bother again."

"He's just trying to introduce you to the family business."

"He's trying to drive me away is what he's doing," Émile grumbled. "Though he could never drive me away from you," he tucked a finger under her chin.

"I'm glad my own brother will never tear us apart," Simone chuckled, pulling away from his touch. "I know how he can be, just give him time."

"I will, I really want to be able to work with your family, really be apart of it."

She smiled. He really was wonderful. She just wished she harbored more affection for him.

"We should be off to bed," he placed a hand on her back and led her to the room they shared. He often had a habit of telling her what to do. It bothered her, but not enough for her to say anything. The two of them went to bed, ignorant to what was happening in Paris just beyond their window.

Simone woke in the middle of the night, unsure as to what had stirred her into wakefulness. She slipped a robe on over her dressing gown and slipped a pair of silk slippers over her cold feet. She waited, standing in her dark room when she heard another thump from downstairs. She wondered if she should wake Émile, but figured that a servant might have just knocked something over. Feeling a little silly, she went downstairs to inspect the source of the noise.

As she made her way downstairs she heard a commotion outside. Red and orange light flickered outside her window as what looked like an angry mob marched passed. She went to the front door, going to undo the latch to see what was going on. Her heart stopped when she noticed the door was no longer locked. Émile had locked it before they had gone to bed, right?

She backed away from the door, going to the window and watched the mob. She relocked the door and went to make her way upstairs. The light from the window illuminated a figure that stood in the middle of the sitting room, looking as though it were trying to creep past. Simone let out a blood curdling shriek, and backed up into the window, hand to her chest. The figure cursed loudly and lunged for her. A large hand clamped down over her mouth and pulled her backwards.

"Simone?" A voice called from upstairs, her yell alerting Émile.

The man holding her dragged her away and out of the house through a back door, into the heavily wooded area behind the mansion. The two of them disappeared into the nigh, Simone kicking and screaming to little avail.


	2. Chapter 2

Erik wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he had taken that woman from her home. When she had screamed, he had intended to silence her and move on, but in the moment, he had panicked, unable to kill her or even knock her unconscious. After what he had done, he didn't want anymore blood on his hands. No one else needed to die because of him. So, in the confusion and his desire to get away, he had taken the bloody woman with him. He hadn't wanted her alerting the mob or anyone else to his presence there.

Now, Erin solemnly dragged this woman through the woods, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. He couldn't let her go could he?

"Be quiet," Erik hissed into her ear, struggling against her insistent kicking, "or I'll snap your neck." He didn't mean it, but she didn't need to know that. Immediately, she stilled, though her body still shook. Tears rolled down her face. Pains of guilt speared Erik through the chest, but he pushed on. In the darkness, he bound her hands and ankles with the length of rope tied to his waist. He shoved a rag in her mouth and tied that in place. He slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She pounded halfheartedly on his back with her bound fists and he ignored her for now. What the hell was he planning to do? Did he really intend on just lugging this woman around with him?

He wasn't thinking clearly. The night's events had scrambled his brains, broken his logic. He didn't know who he was, or how he was supposed to continue now. Against every desire of his heart, he had let Christine go. He had made the decision any sane man would have made and let her go with the man she loved, instead of forcing her to stay and love him. Erik had never felt fully sane, until that moment when he had had clarity when she kissed him. His heart was now broken and his way of life completely threatened. He didn't know what to do.

()

Simone let the tears slip down her face as she bounced up and down slightly on the man's shoulder, hoping beyond hope that he would untie her bonds and let her go. She just wanted to go home to her bed, back to her fiancé, back to the comfort and security of her pampered life.

They made their way through the trees, the moon slowly rising overhead. Eventually they reached an abandoned cabin that this man was clearly familiar with. He opened the door and deposited her down onto a dusty bed, a cloud of dust rising. She coughed against her gag, eyes watering. The man untied the rope keeping the filthy rag in her mouth, allowing her to cough properly.

"Don't bother screaming," he said in low tones. "We're miles from anyone that could hear you."

Simone spat out the taste of the rag, gagging slightly. Her fear was replaced by anger. She couldn't see the man fully in the darkness, but she could see his silhouette.

"Who do you think you are?" She demanded, her voice wavering, tears of frustration leaking from her eyes. "Taking me from my home and dragging me into the middle of nowhere!"

The man ignored her, going to the hearth and started lighting a fire.

"I demand you let me go!" Simone yelled.

The man scoffed and returned to his task.

"Who are you?" She might as well have been taking to a brick wall.

"You might have heard of me," The man muttered at last, finally getting a fire going. He stood, still facing the fire. "Ever heard of the Opera Ghost?"

He turned, and the fire illuminated him in all his glory. Simone had to bite down on a scream when she saw his face. One half of his face was mangled and disfigured, one of his blue eyes sunken slightly into his skull.

"The Opera Ghost?" She stammered, the full realization of who this man was hitting her like a ton a bricks. "But...my brother assured me they would have you arrested! That he had a plan!" A horrible thought struck her. "Have you harmed my brother?"

"Who is your brother?" The man demanded, suddenly confused.

"Raoul De Chagny," She said. "My name is Simone De Chagny."

The man stared at her for a very long time. "Of all the houses in Paris," he muttered "I had to pick the house of the damn De Chagny's." He ran a hand over his forehead.

Simone didn't know much about OG, only that he'd been terrorizing the Opera Populaire for several years, an opera house her parents invested in. Raoul had taken over the accounts in an attempt to step up in the family business and take on a larger roll. He ended up falling in love with one of the sopranos, who had a connection to OG, which lead to her brother taking drastic action to get the man captured. Obviously he had failed.

"What are you going to do with me?" He seemed to have no idea who she was until now, and she wondered if she had made a fatal mistake clueing him into who she really was.

"I don't know." Erik admitted.

"Please let me go," She said.

"So you can tell your brother where I am and he can spend the rest of his days hunting me down and trying to punish me? I didn't know you were his sister," he yelled in frustration. "I'm just going to have to take you with me,"

Her heart fell out of her chest.

"Where?" She choked out.

"Ever been to the circus?"


	3. Chapter 3

Erik looked behind him as Simone trailed behind him solemnly. She certainly wasn't what he had been expecting. She was quiet and subdued, but fought him very little, despite being an unwilling captive. He wondered if she was really as unwilling as she seemed.

He weaved through the circus tents, stopping to ask a few people if they knew where to find the ringmaster. Finally, he came across a tall man with a bald head and tattoos covering most of his face, neck, and hands. He wore a red tailcoat that curled up at the ends. He certainly was a sight.

"Erik!" The man called once he caught sure of the man walking towards him. "It's been too long," He reached out to embrace Erik.

"Gangle," Erik said fondly. "You are not an easy man to find. I'm glad I could catch you before you left France."

"I'm glad you did! What can I do you for?"

"I need somewhere to lay low for a while. I wanted to travel with you for a bit if that was okay."

"Of course! I'm always happy to have you. And maybe if you would consider singing for the show...?"

"Maybe," Erik said. "But we'd have to be as far from France as humanly possible."

"We'll make it there eventually," Gangle said hopefully. He gestured to Simone. "Who is she?"

"Louise. She's my handmaid." Erik explained. Louise was Simone's middle name.

"Wonderful, I will get you two set up with a tent."

Simone groaned behind Erik, and he took some sick satisfaction over her discomfort, resenting the luxury she had surly grown up in. She was just some spoiled rich vicomtesse who had never known a day of hardship in her life. Also knowing she was Raoul's sister made it just a little sweeter.

()

Simone shrugged off her cloak as she followed Erik into the small tent, which had hammocks in lieu of beds. She set her bag of clothes on the floor and looked around, thoroughly disheartened. What had she expected? A five star hotel room? A circus... She tried to remember the last time she had attended a circus. It must have been when she was very young, she vaguely remembered a big red tent with clowns and a lion. She wondered if there were any lions here. Surprisingly, she experienced very little homesickness. She tired to dredge up some sense of loss, but she couldn't find any. Ever since she was 16 years old she had felt so out of control of her life. Her brother, Raoul, had been the only one left in her family that cared for her, and even her marriage had been arranged because no man wanted to be with her when they realized how broken she was. So, in perspective, what was it if a masked man dragged her off in the middle of the night and forced her to join the circus? Who knows, it might even be fun.

Simone poked her head out of the tent, wondering where Erik had went. Had he really left her here alone? Did he really trust her not to run off? Or did he not care? She went back into the tent, grabbing her minuscule bag of clothing and poked through its contents. Erik couldn't very well let Simone travel across France in her dressing gown, so he had purchased a few dresses for her, but they were very low class and a little tattered. She had discovered though that they were far more comfortable than the complicated garments she wore every day.

Erik pushed back the tent flaps and crossed the threshold of the small tent, setting his bag of belongings by the hammock he deemed his.

"How do you know Gangle?" Simone asked, attempting pleasant conversation. Never mind the fact that he'd kidnapped her.

Erik grunted, turning his back to her.

Anger bubbled up in the pit of her stomach.

"If you're going to force to be here and stay with you, you might as well talk to me!" She snapped.

Erik turned back to her, his face sour. "You are to help with chores around camp. You will wake up with the sun with the other servants every morning and prepare breakfast and wash the laundry in preparation for that night's performance. Don't even think about running off, I'm watching you."

Simone wanted to scream with frustration, but instead she just flopped down onto her hammock, moping.


	4. Chapter 4

"What brings you back to my circus, old friend?" Gangle asked, pouring a glass of whiskey for himself and for Erik. Erik sat in Gangle's personal tent, which was furnished quite lavishly. Gangle had done well for himself in the years since Erik had last seen him.

"I ran into some trouble in Paris."

"Anything like the trouble in Persia?" Gangle presses, sitting across from Erik and handing him with whiskey.

"Worse." As he took a sip of the alcohol, he could feel a pleasant warmth spreading through his body.

"Yikes," Gangle said. "I'm not sure I even want to know."

"You don't." Erik agreed. "But I really just need a place to lay low and stay out of trouble. Luckily for me this place travels."

"All over Europe." Gangle said proudly. "We've really broadened our reaches."

"What's your next stop?"

"Madrid, Spain. Anthony has been helping me brush up on my Spanish."

The tent flap opened as another man entered the threshold. Hamish Dubois eyed Erik idly. Hamish was Gangle's lover and did not take kindly to Erik. He thought Erik was nothing but trouble and was going to drag Gangle down with him.

"Hamish,"

"Erik," Hamish said cooly. "How long have you been back?"

"Only a few days."

"Mm," Hamish pursed his lips. "Gregory, Edith is looking for you." He turned his attention to Gangle. Gregory was his first name.

"Tell her I'll be along in a little bit." Gangle waved a hand, giving Hamish his leave. "You're lucky to have caught me while I was still in Paris, Erik."

"I have little luck these days, so I'm grateful." Erik agreed.

"So tell me about Louise." Gangle mused, and Erik choked on his whiskey.

"There's really nothing to tell. She's my maid."

"Mm," Gangle pursed his lips. "Erik, you don't need a maid. You travel light as it."

"We both needed a chance to run away, I gave her one." Erik lied. Though, Simone hadn't been as resistant as he had expected her to be. But he certainly couldn't let her leave now, especially because of how comfortable he was here at the circus.

"Gregory!" A tall woman strode into the tent. Her graying hair was pulled back into a severe bun at the back of her head, and she wore a whip that was coiled at her belt. "One of my handlers ran off, I need extra hands." She has a thick Russian accent.

"Where do you expect me to find trained young individuals who have experience lion taming?" Gangle asked

The woman that Erik assumed was Edith spread her hands. "I can't do the show with only one assistant."

Gangle sighed. "I'll see to it, Edith, even if I must assist you myself."

This answer seemed to satisfy her. "Thank you, Gregory."

"Lions?" The circus had definitely expanded since the last time Erik had traveled with Gangle. "Think you could train Louise to tame lions?" Erik laughed.

Gangle stroked his chin. "Maybe that isn't a bad idea."

"I was joking, the poor girl will get eaten!" Maybe that wasn't so bad.

Gangle waved a hand. "Edith is amazing with the lion. Could I ask Louise if she would like to learn to help with Edith's performance?"

"You can ask her." Erik muttered. "But I doubt she'll answer in the affirmative."

"It can't hurt." Gangle shrugged.

()

"A l-lion?" Simone gawked at the tall tattooed man.

"Yes. Edith works wonders with Kosh."

"Kosh?"

"The lion. I think it's a play on the Russian word for cat, I'm not really sure. But she's raised him since he was a baby, and as long as you're trained to use the whip, you'll be totally safe." Gangle assured her.

Simone was floored by the request. Her, helping a mad woman tame some wild animal and get it to jump through hoops for a show? She opened her mouth to politely decline Gangle's offer but then she thought about it for a moment. When again in her life would she ever have this opportunity again? Maybe getting kidnapped wasn't so bad. Had she really just thought that? She would much rather be at home with her brother and fiancé, in the comfort of her cozy mansion, but taming a lion...

"I'm curious," She admitted. "Do you think Edith could show me what exactly I'd have to be doing to help her?"

Gangle smiled broadly. "Absolutely."

What was she getting herself in to?


	5. Chapter 5

Edith was delighted that Simone had agreed to learn how to help her during the shows. She was a tall and imposing woman, with a thick Russian accent, but she seemed nice.

"Your job is to stand on the sidelines, and make sure Kosh stays focused on me and what I'm doing." Edith explained, handing Simone a whip. "We don't whip him, but we whip the area around him, letting him know where he needs to go. If he strays too far off course and too close to the audience, it's the job of you and my other assistant to crack the whip, deterring him. Each of you have one half of the ring, you walk around one half and Eliza goes around the other half. Of course you're going to have to be able to move around pretty quickly, so we should get you fitted for trousers."

"Trousers?!" She was discussing helping this woman with a lion show and the trousers were the part that made her balk? "I've never worn trousers before."

"I reckon that you've never participated in a show like this either, but there's a first time for everything." And with that, she thumped Simone hard on the back. She had to take a step forward, winded a little by the sudden blow to her back.

"Do you want to meet the big guy?" Edith asked.

"You mean Kosh?"

"Yeah!" Edith beckoned her to a covered wagon. Simone could hear something snuffling and scraping inside. Edith tore off the sheet covering it to reveal a very large cage that was attached to a wagon. Inside was a gigantic lion with a huge mane. It yawned lazily and curled up.

"I try to practice and train with him daily," Edith explained, "to make sure he gets plenty of exercise,"

Simone nodded, inspecting the wild beast. He had paws that were bigger than her face, and that yawn had exposed his very sharp teeth. She was also oddly transfixed by the lion.

"So what do you think?" Edith pressed.

"I think this is insane. But... I'll do it." She was almost excited. If she was going to be kidnapped she might as well have some fun with it.

"Excellent! Now, we won't have much time to practice, since we leave for Spain in a week, but-"

"Spain?" Simone demanded, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. She hadn't realized that this circus would leave the country. She had always assumed that it would just move around France, and eventually Erik would slip up and give her an opportunity to escape. But if they were going so far away... there would be no way to get back on her own, especially with no money. She had half a mind to tell Edith the truth; that her name wasn't Louise, that she was really Simone De Chagny, the kidnapped vicomtesse. But how could she? Erik knew were she lived, so even if she got away he would still be able to find her. It would be difficult for a De Chagny to disappear at all in all honesty. She would never be able to hide from him. And if she left, he would most likely do his damndest to torture her brother in any way he could, and she couldn't let that happen. She needed to somehow convince Erik to let her go. He couldn't keep her forever could she?

"Something wrong?" Edith asked.

"I just have never been to Spain before, Simone lied, screaming internally with frustration.

()

Over the next week, Edith instructed Simone on how to go properly redirect the lion should he get off course from what Edith was trying to get him to do. She assured Simone that if she didn't feel ready for the next performance, Gangle would step in. They packed up and headed for Spain, dashing any hopes Simone had for going home anytime soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Simone walked past Erik, who was sitting in his hammock, humming to himself. He was holding a leather folder open, which had sheets of blank paper inside. He tapped a pen on the tip of his nose, staring at the paper, as though waiting for inspiration to spark.

"Are you a writer?" Simone asked, sitting in her hammock.

Erik glanced at her sideways, and was quiet for a time. "I'm a composer,"

"Really?"

Erik nodded. "Though I haven't been able to write anything in a long time," his face softened, and for a moment he even looked a little vulnerable. He wasn't wearing his mask, so she could see his full expression. She was slowly getting used to his deformities, and looking at him didn't make her cringe internally anymore. She wondered if he intentionally didn't wear his mask around her to make her uncomfortable, since he took great pains to wear it whenever anyone else was around. Little did he know that by doing that he was making her more comfortable with his exposed face. Upon further inspection, she figured that without that deformity, he would have been a handsome man. Simone tore her eyes away from him.

"Gangle mentioned that you sing. Do you sing well?"

Erik cocked an eyebrow. "I guess."

Simone tried searching for something else interesting to say.

"What do you do? Besides sit around and get pampered all day?" Erik asked, his tone condescending.

Simone's cheeks burned red. Bastard! "There is more to me than the amount of money my family makes! The only reason I live in any sort of comfort is because my brother made sure I was taken care of when my family disowned me!" That was more than she had wanted to share.

Erik looked around, brows furrowed. "Disowned you?"

"Forget it." Simone's entire face was flushed with color. "It's none of your business."

"Sorry I asked." Erik muttered.

"I am more that a De Chagny." Simone insisted. "I've had little to do with the family business. My parents were never around when I was growing up, and my brothers took care of everything. Philippe is quite a bit older and looked after me, my sisters, and Raoul. Raoul is actually younger than I am, but he and Philippe are the primary heirs, so I'll never see any of that money when my parents pass. And honestly you could probably hold me for ransom and no one but Raoul would care." She wasn't sure what pushed her to say all these things, but it made her feel worse, remembering how much of her family hated her, but if Erik wanted to judge her, she didn't want it to be for her family. "And to answer your question, I whittle."

"What?"

"Wood carving. I picked it up when...when I was 16. I haven't done it since I met my fiancé, he said it was unladylike and unbecoming in a wife." She downcast her eyes.

Erik considered her for a moment. "You don't talk about your fiancé often. Do you love him?"

"Why should that matter?" Simone snapped, suddenly self conscious. "My engagement is more of a...business transaction." She suddenly became quite embarrassed. "I don't know why I'm telling you any of this." She stood up suddenly, sweeping out of the tent. Erik watched her leave, a little stunned. Simone didn't look back at him, and stomped off to find Edith. They had arrived the previous day in Spain, and the camp was set up now, and their first show would be tomorrow, so she figured that some extra time practicing with Edith and Kosh wouldn't hurt.

When Simone returned to the tent that night, Erik was gone, but she found something sitting in her hammock. It was a small block of wood and a small carving knife.


	7. Chapter 7

Edith's act was the last one that night, and everything went off without a hitch. Kosh did exactly as he was told, and Simone's services were hardly needed. She just stood there with her whip, trying to look composed and confident, pretending that there wasn't a very large killing machine with sharp teeth only ten feet away. The whole circus was a success, and that night Gangle threw a party to celebrate their opening in his personal tent. The only parties Simone had ever attended had been high society balls, where she had been instructed as a young teenager to "stand around and look pretty" and "not to speak unless spoken to". She'd certainly never attended a party that had involved this much ruckus laughter and alcohol.

She stood awkwardly in a corner of the tent, nursing a glass of wine, watching all the members of the circus talking and showing off drunkenly. Eliza, Edith's other assistant, stumbled over, holding two classes of some dark liquid.

"Loosen up, Louise!" Eliza insisted, shoving the glass into Simone's hand.

"I've never drank anything like this." Simone muttered, sniffing the alcohol and nearly gagging. Still, her desperate desire to fit and and not seem like a snob drove her to drinking whatever Eliza had handed her. It burned all the way down. She coughed.

"So what's your story, Louise, you don't ever talk all that much."

"There's not much to tell. I was a sheltered girl living a comfortable life and it was time for some adventure." She considered the words as she swished the alcohol around in the glass. "What about you, Eliza? What brought you to Edith?"

"I'm the daughter of a priest, who has a little bit too much interest in other girls," Eliza winked. "Father found out and was furious! Found me hands deep in the neighbor's daughter."

Simone's entire face turned red. "I-uh-uh," She stuttered.

"Sorry, I can be really crude, especially when I'm drunk!" Eliza laughed. "But anyway he kicked my sinning ass to the curb, and I found Gangle, fellow homosexual, who gave me a job here."

"Gangle's a..." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"See that man he's with," Eliza pointed to where Gangle was chatting with a shorter man. "They've been together forever."

"I had no idea." Simone muttered.

"I mean most of us know." Eliza shrugged. "All of us are freaks here. Society's outcasts."

Erik must fit right in here then. As Simone watched, Gangle tipped the man's chin up and planted a tender kiss on his lips, and Simone turned away, suddenly sad. When was the last time she'd been kissed like that? She was suddenly envious of the two men, and she finished off whatever was left in her glass, and Eliza was happy to provide a refill.

"That's the spirit, Louise!" Eliza encouraged her.

Simone had no idea what her limits were when it came to alcohol. The most she drank was a glass of wine with dinner, and Eliza kept her glass consistently full. By the time the party died down, Simone was stumbling back to her tent, completely wasted.

"Why weren't you at the party?" Simone demanded as she entered the tent she and Erik shared. Erik was standing by his trunk, holding papers in his hands.

"Social gatherings aren't my thing." Erik looked her over. "You're drunk."

"I guess." She shrugged. "I haven't had this much fun in years! I'm glad you ran into my house and dragged me off into the night."

Erik raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?"

"I was suffocating!" Simone raised her hands above her head. "Philippe trying to run my life and get me back into mother and father's good graces, marrying me off to some business man with a stellar reputation, Raoul treating me like I'm made of glass, having to act like the perfect meek wife and sister, trying to make people stop hating me for something that happened when I was 16. You're what I needed, Erik."

She wasn't really thinking straight. "I would have just been a trophy wife, instructed to smile and look pretty while my husband ran off and had all the fun."

"You are very drunk."

She hung herself off Erik's shoulders, and he took a step back, suddenly uncomfortable with the sudden human contact.

"You're a man, I'm a woman."

"Are you... making a pass at me?" Erik demanded, his face turning red under that mask. "Aren't women like you supposed to save yourselves for marriage?"

"Too late for that," she muttered. She stood on tip toe, pressing her lips to Erik's. Erik stood there, stunned for a moment. He put his hands on her waist, giving in to the kiss, but after a few moments pulled back.

"You should sleep this off."

She pursed her lips. "Now you decide you want to act like a gentleman? Where's the guy who bound my wrists and threw me over his shoulders?" What in the blue hell was she saying?

"Go to bed, Simone." Erik turned away from her, and she stood there, feeling rejected and hurt, but also like she had to vomit.

And a moment later she did. She ducked out of the tent, retching. Erik followed her out, pulling her hair out of her face as she kneeled on the ground, body shaking.

()

Simone woke up the next morning, head pounding, stomach churning, and was full of all kinds of regret.

She stood from her hammock, wavering.

Erik was already awake, sitting and writing in his hammock.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Past noon." He said.

"I'm late!" She tried moving quickly, but her stomach turned and her head pounded, causing her to lurch and nearly fall over.

"Here," Erik handed her a glass. "Drink this."

"What is it?"

"Hangover cure."

It tasted awful, but she did start feeling better.

"Drink more water next time you indulge in alcohol. Hangovers are caused by dehydration."

"Right."

He was being surprisingly helpful, despite her inappropriate behavior last night. Had she really kissed him and told him to throw her over his shoulder? She wanted to go find a very deep hole and curl up and die in it. Erik had seemed to take it in stride though.

"I'm sorry, about last night," she said.

"Is everything you said true? That you're glad you're here?"

"It isn't exactly a lie." She admitted. "I have so much freedom here I never had at home, even if I am a hostage."

Erik smiled wryly. "Simone... you don't have to stay here if you don't want to. I shouldn't have kept you here this long. Just don't send the police after Gangle's circus. If you leave, I'll disappear, and no one will ever see me again."

Simone was stunned. Was he really letting her go? Just like that?

"I...I think I want to stay."


	8. Chapter 8

Simone was free. And her first act as a free woman was to tell everyone at the circus her real name. She told the truth in regards of her name, saying she had been going by her middle name to conceal her identity. Then, she took a little liberty telling them the truth of her concealing her identity. She was the heir to an important family who would be looking for her, but now felt she trusted everyone enough to tell them her real name.

Gangle listened to her story idly, dogging around in his desk for something.

"And your true last name?"

"De Chagny."

He pulled out a newspaper that was from Paris.

"I thought so," he handed over the paper. It was folded open to an article about a missing vicomtesse. Her brothers and fiancé were looking for her.

"It seems like you have people who care about you." Gangle muttered.

"They just want to control my life." Simone muttered. "My fiancé wants an in to my family's success, and my brothers have spent so much time trying to drag me up from the depths of disgrace, they forgot about the person that mattered."

Gangle considered her for a moment. "My circus is a place for lost souls, so you of course are still welcome to stay. Edith is quite impressed with your work."

"Thank you." Simone handed the paper back to him.

She walked back to Erik's tent, and she grabbed the wood and knife he'd given her. She left again, going to the center of the camp, where the other members of the circus were gathered around a campfire. She sat with Eliza and Anthony and began working on the block of wood.

"What are you working on?" Anthony asked.

"Don't know yet. I haven't done this in years." She scratched her head self consciously.

She looked around the fire, inspecting all the members of Gangle's circus. Sitting across from her was Joseph and Angela, a married couple who were acrobatics. Anthony's partner, Liam, was chatting with them. He and Anthony were contortionists. They could wind their bodies up into magnificent (and slightly terrifying) shapes. Anthony explained that Gangle used to perform with them before he got "too big for his britches" and switch to managing and announcing the show. Sitting beside them was Edith and Maxim, the world's strongest man. Simone felt at home with these people. All these individuals, from so many different walks of life, will these interesting skills and talents, who was she to be among them? Erik was right. She was some pampered brat, who knew nothing of hardship. She took the help of her brother's for granted and was spitting in their faces because she didn't like the form in which help came. These people had fought and struggled, making their own way and helping themselves.

Simone whittled angrily and forcefully, seething with self loathing. She cut at the wood, sending shavings tumbling onto the ground. With each cut of the knife, her mind became clearer, her anxiety lessening. After a while, she sat back and examined her work. It was an iris flower. They had been her favorite when she was a child. She ran the knife over the petals, smoothing the cuts she made there. Her work was still a little rough since she hadn't done this for a long time, but she was happy with the flower.

"That's really good," Eliza peered over Simone's shoulder.

"Thanks." Simone smiled.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"Trial and error." Simone admitted. "I had a lot of time to myself as a teenager and just figured it out."

"You could probably sell those." Eliza said.

"Hm," Anthony stroked his chin. "I think I have an idea."

Simone eyes him, but turned her attention back to her flower.

The fire died down and everyone began wandering back to their tents. Eliza stopped Simone before she left.

"Hey, there's an extra hammock in Edith and my tent, and since you're part of our act now, maybe you'd like to room with us."

"I'd like that!" Simone smiled, happy to be included. "I'll grab my stuff from Erik's tent." She felt a little had to be abandoning him, but he did tell her she was free to do whatever she pleased. She grabbed her bag of stuff from the tent, which Erik was still missing from. She set the flower she'd carved on his hammock before leaving with Eliza.

()

Erik stared down into his glass, wishing and hoping the alcohol would be enough to wash everything away, to make him forget. Gangle was his usual drinking buddy. Gangle now knew everything about Erik, about the opera ghost, about Simone and how he'd kidnapped her, everything.

"Erik," Gangle said after a while of being silent. "I knew you were OG. I mean, a disfigured man in a mask is a pretty huge identifier."

"Why didn't you turn me away?" Erik muttered.

"It's not my nature. And I'm sure there's more to that story than just want the papers say. I wanted you to tell me yourself."

Erik nodded.

"But the thing about Simone worries me. You keeping her here against her will? I'm not okay with that."

"She's not here against her will anymore. I told her she could go."

"And she stayed."

"Which is the problem,"

"It's a problem?"

Erik sighed. "I hoped she would leave. She's a weakness, Gangle,"

Gangle froze. "Are you saying you have feelings for her?"

Erik shook his head. "I don't know what I'm saying. She's working her way in Gangle."

Gangle eyed him. "I think you need to reevaluate your life."

"Savage,"

"Erik, you are one of my oldest friends, but you have made some very bad choices."

"I know."

"Do you?" Gangle demanded. "You told Simone to report you to the police if she had to, you passed off the responsibility of holding yourself accountable for your actions on to her. Instead of turning yourself in, you let her go, relieving yourself of doing that."

Erik clenched his fist around his glass. Gangle could see right through him.

"You just sit here and wallow in self pity, talking about how bad your life is when you could stand up and make it better. No one is responsible for how shit your life is other than you. You sit and whine about your face, but that doesn't give you the right to terrorize an opera house and kidnap a girl from her home! You were dealt a shit hand, but you decide how you want to play it. Rather than rising above and proving people like your mother wrong, you just excuse your shitty behavior and hide behind that face of yours, believing it absolves you of all guilt."

Gangle stood, his face red. "I will forgive a lot of the things you do Erik, but you need to better yourself. Take some damn responsibility for the shitty things you've done." And with that, he stormed out of the tent.

Erik was left sitting there, stunned. He sat for a very long time and mulled over what Gangle had told him.

Eventually he made the trek to his tent, stumbling a little from the alcohol he'd consumed. He pulled the flap back on the tent, and the first thing he noticed was Simone's bag was gone. Erik's eyes darted around the tent, searching for any sign of Simone. He saw a little wooden flower sitting in the middle of his hammock and his heart started racing. Where was she? She hadn't really left, had she? Erik darted out into the night, scanning the empty camp for any sign of her. Up ahead he saw two people talking between two tents, and he hurried his pace. Simone and Eliza were talking, Simone with her bag of belongings slung over her shoulder.

"Simone!" He called, jogging up to them, slightly out of breath.

"Erik," she sniffed the air. "Ah the tables have turned, you're the drunk one,"

Erik couldn't help but smile a little. "Sorry, I just... I noticed your things were gone."

"I'll see you at the tent," Eliza smirked like she knew something and waved as she left.

"Yeah, Eliza asked me to move into Edith's tent, and it'd be nice to live with other women."

"Oh," Erik felt like an idiot. The alcohol was impairing his thoughts.

"Why, would you miss me?" She said wryly.

Erik didn't think, he just grabbed her face and kissed her.

When he pulled away she smiled sadly.

"Why don't you sleep this off," she patted his exposed cheek.


	9. Chapter 9

Erik's head pounded painfully the next day, but he felt like his head had never been clearer. He made his way to Gangle's personal tent, where he found Gangle arranging fliers.

"Erik," He said cooly. "I wanted to apologize about my outburst, I don't like to lose my temper all that often,"

"No, you were right, Gangle, about everything. And I'm sorry. I can't blame anyone for my mess but myself."

"He can learn." Gangle muttered. "And I don't want you to think you have to leave the circus now. That isn't what I want."

"I really appreciate it," Erik said. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Sing for me." Gangle said.

"What."

"Sing for me. It's our last night in Spain, I want this show to be special. Your voice is special Erik."

Erik sighed. "Alright. I'll do it. But only because I feel bad."

"That's good enough for me."

()

Simone ran her hand over the bars on Kosh's cage, examining the strong beast just beyond. She pulled a block of wood out of her pocket, and began carving, occasionally looking up at the lion for reference.

"Anthony wasn't kidding, you're very talented."

Simone jumped as she heard Edith talk. She had the back half of the lion carved out of the wood.

"How

"Many of these things do you think you could make?" Edith asked. "Because what if we sold your little woodcarvings at the show?"

"It was my idea!" Anthony grinned.

"Would I make any of the money?" Simone asked.

"Of course! I would just ask for... 25%? Of course, I'd give half of that to Gangle." She winked.

"I mean," Simone stared down at her block of wood. A way for her to make money on her own? Without the help of her brother or anyone else?

"If you guys think they're going to sell, sure! I could sell little wooden Kosh's, or ones that are shaped like Gangle, or the circus tent," She was genuinely excited.

"I'll run it by Gangle, but I think he'll be okay with you doing it after Kosh gets back in the cage."

She left Simone to her work, and Simone smiled. She would need a lot more wood.

()

That night their final show in Spain ran smoothly. Simone helped Edith and Eliza roll Kosh's cage out of the ring and lined up with the other performers, ready to go back out into the middle of the ring for a final bow. Gangle stepped out into the ring, but he didn't call them out after him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, speaking in Spanish. "We have one last performance for you, a special guest just for one night here for you in Spain, give it up!" He stepped off and surprisingly Erik made his way out into the center.

The performers muttered amongst themselves. The only one who didn't look surprised was Edith.

"Erik used to sing for us back in the day."

"Sing?"

Erik opened his mouth and began singing. Simone recognized it from going to the opera as a young teenager with her family. It was a song from Faust, a sad soulful melody, a song for Mephistopheles himself.

Simone was mesmerized by his voice. She had never heard anyone with a voice so beautiful, but so sad. It made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. By the end of the song the entire audience was captivated. They all clapped and stood, filling the silence with their appreciation for his performance. Erik bowed respectfully before he left. Gangle was back out in a moment, calling for the final bow, but Simone had slipped away, following Erik out of the tent.

"Hey," she said as she caught up with him.

"Oh, hi," Erik smiled slightly.

"You were amazing out there."

"I owed Gangle a favor." Erik shrugged.

"Erik... what are we?" Simone asked. "What am I to you?"

Erik stopped. "Who says we're anything."

His response seemed so cold. Simone had thought she'd seen a different side of him. She remembered that this had been the man who terrorized her brother, was he even capable of feeling emotions? But there seemed so much more to him than the terrible monster her brother had described to her. What was going on with him to suddenly cut himself off to her? She thought these last few weeks in Spain that she'd been breaking through his defenses. Hell, he had even let her go. Now...

She didn't know what she thought. She was a stupid naive girl.

"Sorry. Forget I said anything."


	10. Chapter 10

The weeks went by and they went from Spain all the way down to Italy. Between shows, Simone began working on her carvings tirelessly to have enough to sell at every show. They were quite popular, and she was even making a decent amount of money doing it. She saved up to buy herself a new dress, one that was soft blue and reminded her of one of the ones from home. She felt at home in the corset and stiff fabric, and even would curl her hair when she wore it. It had been a long time since she felt beautiful.

She wore this particular dress when she and Eliza were exploring the city of Tuscany. They were staying for longer in Italy, because Hamish had family here, so today was an off day, so there was no show to set up or practice for.

"So," Eliza pressed. "What's going on between you and that mysterious masked friend of Gangle's?"

"Nothing." Simone snapped. "He was a means to an end, that's all. He got me away from my life. Now I'm here, there's not much more I can say about it."

Simone wanted to divulge her small crush on Erik, but saying it out loud would make her feelings real. She thought about Émile with guilt in her heart, but it didn't last for long.

"If you say so." Eliza pursed her lips.

"Do you ever miss your family?" Simone asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Nope," Eliza said quickly. "Hardly give them a passing thought most days. Why?"

Simone was still battling the guilt of abandoning her brother and fiancé, who were probably both out of their minds with worry.

"I miss mine is all."

"I thought you weren't on good terms with your family."

"My parents and my sisters, yes, but my brothers still love me."

"What did you do that was so bad?" Eliza pressed.

Simone had never told anyone. She wondered if her secret was even that bad, but she had so much shame associated with those memories she hadn't dared talk about it before.

"I've never told anyone." Simone admitted.

"It can't be that bad."

"Maybe, but I still don't like to talk about it."

Eliza let the matter fall after that.

()

The next night, dressed in her trousers and vest, Simone helped prepare for that night's show. She helped assemble the bleachers and with setting up the trapeze. Her hands had callouses now from all the work she'd been doing the last few months. It felt so satisfying.

The circus that night went as planned. That was until they reached the lion taming act. Simone stood on her half of the ring, gripping her whip in one hand and clutching a stool with the other. The legs of the stool confused the lion into not eating you.

Edith released Kosh from his cage and began to lead him through his normal routine. Today though, the lion seemed agitated, and it took him more prompting to do what he was told. He stood on one of his platforms, preparing to jump through a hoop when he suddenly darted off, heading straight for the audience. Simone reacted immediately. She ran to intercept the lion, cracking the whip, but in the process she lost her stool. The sound of the whip drew Kosh's attention, and he leapt for Simone.

Simone felt the lion's heavy body crash into her and heard the bang of a gun.


	11. Chapter 11

Gangle lowered the rifle, which was smoking slightly. He had shot the lion in the shoulder, which wasn't enough to kill it, but enough to render it weak. Edith ran forward, dragging the large animal off of Simone. Erik was there in an instant, standing between Kosh and Simone. He watched as Edith and Gangle dragged him back off to his cage. The audience had gone head silent with anticipation. Erik went to Simone's side, worried that she had been injured. She sat up, a hand pressed to her head. Her pant leg was torn away, and deep teeth marks were visible in her calf. Blood oozed from the wound steadily. Erik ripped off the remainder of her pant leg, tying it above the wound to stop the flow of blood.

"Is Kosh okay?" Simone asked, still dazed. Erik wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

"Come on," Erik lifted her to her feet, attempting to carry her, but she resisted, instead leaning on him for support and limping. Once she had regained her footing, the audience roared, apparently pleased that she was okay.

"We need to get you to a hospital," Edith said, helping Simone on the other side of her body, letting her take all the weight off the hurt leg.

Simone looked down at her leg for the first time, and her brain finally associated the pain with the wound, and she groaned, gritting her teeth. She leaned her head on Erik's shoulder. Erik's heart thumped uncomfortably loud in his chest.

()

Simone put on a brave face for her fellow performers, but when Kosh has attacked she had never been so scared. In the hospital room, she curled up into a ball and cried for a long time, the consequences of her actions the last few months weighing on her. What if something had happened to her and her brothers had never heard about it? What if she had just died, and Raoul and Philippe would just be left to wonder. She suddenly had the need to go home. She wanted to be safe, wanted security. These months with Gangle and the performers had been amazing, but it was time for the dream to end.

()

The doctors stitched up her leg and gave her something for the pain, keeping her for a few days to make sure the wound didn't get infected, or to make sure the lion wasn't diseased. Edith has shown up after her leg was stitched up and sobbed for about an hour, apologizing for what had happened. Simone assured the woman that she didn't blame anyone for what happened; it had simply been an accident.

Eliza of course kept her company, rambling about how cool the scars were going to look, and how very few people in this world could actually say they've been attacked by a lion.

Simone was sitting in her bed, Eliza keeping her company, when Simone's doctor walked in.

"Can I leave yet?" Simone asked hopefully.

"Not yet. You may need to stay a couple more days. The lion's teeth shredded the muscle in your calf pretty severely, and you won't be able to walk properly on it for a while. So, we'll need to explore what methods we can use to get you on your feet again. Physical therapy, things like that. Also what your best option for moving around will be. Canes, a wheelchair."

Simone's heart sunk. She was going to be crippled now? On top of everything else?

"That won't be necessary, doctor, I have professionals back in Paris that can help her." A familiar voice said. Raoul stepped into the room.


	12. Chapter 12

"Raoul!" Simone cried out.

Her brother sat on the edge of her bed, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Simone, I'm so glad I found you." Raoul's shoulder's shook, and Simone was shocked. Was he crying?

He pulled back, wiping his eyes. "What happened to you?" He asked. "Émile said you were taken in the middle of the night! He heard you yelling and thumping, like you were being dragged!"

Could Simone tell him the whole truth?

"I was kidnapped, by some man." She didn't know why she was protecting Erik, but she knew it would make her brother worry more if he knew that the opera ghost himself had been involved. "He dragged out into the middle of nowhere and left me. I wandered for a while and found this circus. I've been traveling with them ever since." Her entire face blossomed red. This story sounded so ridiculous.

"Who kidnapped you? Did you see his face?"

Simone shook her head. "He had my face covered."

"And what madness possessed you to stay with this circus?"

Simone shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm sorry Raoul, I was scared, I didn't want to go back home, I thought the man might find me again. So I stayed here, since this place traveled, until I thought it was safe enough to leave." Her excuses were even flimsier than her original explanation. "And I liked it here." That much she could admit to Raoul.

"You couldn't even send us a letter to let us know you were okay?"

Her blush deepened. "I-I'm sorry."

Raoul sighed, pulling her back into a hug. "I'm just glad you're safe. But with a lion's bite in your leg. Christ, Simone."

Simone grinned nervously. "At least I'll have a cool scar."

()

Raoul left, saying he needed to make some preparations for their return to Paris. Once Raoul was gone, Erik visited Simone for the first time since she'd been admitted into the hospital.

"You didn't need to do that." Erik muttered.

"So what?" Simone asked, confused.

"Protect me."

Her heart began pounding in her chest. "You heard all that?"

"Yeah." Erik smiled.

"I'm just impressed you were able to be that close to my brother and not kill him."

Erik waved a hand. "There's no point living my life angry over something I can't have. And there's no point punishing your brother for standing in the way of something I thought I wanted."

"That you thought you wanted?"

"I was in love with the idea of Christine." Erik admitted. "I built her up on this pedestal in my head, forgetting she was a real person. And now, here we are." He glanced around, almost awkwardly. "I came to visit you once before, but when I approached your room I heard you crying. So I... I sent for your brother."

"You brought him here?" Her heart dropped. Did he just want her gone?

"Yes. I thought maybe it was time for you to go home. Back to your life."

Tears started running down her cheeks. "Why?" She demanded. "Do you want me gone that badly?"

Erik looked taken aback. "I-I'm sorry, I was just doing what I thought you wanted."

Simone wiped her eyes. "I know. I just want to be mad at you."

Erik left her alone after that. Was she really ready to go back to Paris? After all she'd done, after the bite? Could she go back to being a docile housewife?


	13. Chapter 13

Simone said tearful goodbyes to the other performers, and Raoul bundled her up and loaded her into a carriage bound for Paris. He had hired a nurse for their travels that would tent to Simone's bite and make sure it didn't get infected.

When they arrived home, Émile was besides himself with joy that she had made it home safely. Raoul explained what had happened, but Émile didn't pay all that close attention to the details. They got Simone set up in a bed on the main floor so she wouldn't have to worry about getting up and down stairs.

"I'm going to have to figure out how to walk on my leg before the wedding." Simone said as Raoul and Émile lowered her down onto the bed.

"Simone, we don't have to get married so soon. You need to recover and-"

"No," Simone said. "We planned on getting married in a month and I intend on keeping the date." If she was married, she could stop thinking about Erik.

()

Simone stretched out her leg, gritting her teeth against the pain of her stitches stretching. She gave up and swung her leg back up into her bed. She was eager to get walking around again, so she could regain the strength in her calf. She grabbed her crutches, trying to help herself upright.

"What are you doing?" Émile came into the room, worry all over his face.

"I'm trying to get moving." Simone explained.

"You need to be resting."

Simone's anger flared. She wished he would stop telling her what to do.

"Yes dear." Simone muttered, settling back onto the bed.

Émile was holding her bag of belongings from her time with the circus.

"What are you doing with that?" Simone asked.

"I was going to throw it out," Émile explains.

"No!" Simone said, snatching the bag from him. "Why would you do that?"

"It's just garbage."

Inside were some of her wood carvings, her costume she wore for her act, some trinkets the other cast members had given her, and the dress she had bought herself.

"It's not." She pulled out the rumpled blue gown.

"You have so many nicer ones here."

"It doesn't matter."

"Stop being silly, Simone." He yanked the bag away from her, and the dress. "I won't let my wife be seen in something like this."

()

That night, Simone dragged herself out of bed and found the bin where Émile had discarded her things. She promptly hid them in the back of her closet, where Émile would never find them.


	14. Chapter 14

Simone stood in front of the full length mirror, surveying herself in her white gown. It had a low neckline that was line with delicate, ruffled lace, and the skirt was layered with the same lace. It was truly beautiful, but she felt like she didn't deserve to wear it. She wanted to marry Émile, didn't she? She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she knew she had to do. Every bride was nervous before a wedding, right? You can do this, she told herself. She ran her hands over her skirts, turning and admiring herself in the mirror. She picked up her bouquet. She really looked like a bride. Now she just had to play the part.

"Simone,"

Her heart fell out of the sky and hit the ground hard. She knew that voice. She turned and saw Erik standing in the doorway of her dressing room.

"Y-you shouldn't be here!"

"I know." He grabbed her shoulders and the flowers tumbled from her hands. "But please, if I don't come out and say this, we'll both regret it for the rest of our lives."

She pulled away from him, running her hands over her shoulders where he had touched her, but she didn't interrupt him as he continued. "I built these walls, Simone, to protect myself and others from what my love does to people. I tried so hard not to love you. But no matter how much you drove me crazy, you planted vines in the tiny cracks in those walls. Cracks and I didn't see. Maybe I chose to ignore them, I don't know, but what I do know is that you are in my head and I can't get you out." Tenderly, Erik placed a hand on her cheek, and she only had eyes for him. "You drove me crazy, and I am sure it was the same for you, but I watched as you changed and grew from the person you were, and it amazed me. That is why I pushed you away, because I didn't want to let someone in."

"Erik," she shook her head, a protest on her lips.

"You deserve more than I can ever give you," Erik said, cutting over her, "and all I can promise you is my love. And if you decide to walk away, right now, I also swear I will leave you alone to live your life. Just please, think about what I have said." He let his hand fall and Simone felt like all the breath had knocked out of her, like she had been falling for a long time and had finally hit the ground. Time to assess the damage.

"You look beautiful,"

Simone spun, expecting to see Erik standing there, but it was her brother.

"Thanks, Raoul." She embraced him tenderly, trying to ignore the fact she was considering running away with the man who had kidnapped his wife.

"You ready" He asked. "How's your leg?"

"It's holding up. I might need my cane though." She could feel the strength leaking from the leg that had sustained the bite. She could only stand on it a few hours a day now without falling over. She was grateful that she had managed to avoid infection, which would have caused the entire limb to be amputated.

"Come on, the wedding is about to start. Your maid of honor has your cane should you need it, for now you can lean on me."

Her "maid of honor" was Christine. She didn't have very many friends.

She gingerly took Raoul's arm and made her way across the room with him, to the door that lead to the rest of the church.

She pulled away from Raoul at the last second.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this,"


	15. Chapter 15

"What do you mean?" Raoul demanded. "You were the one who insisted to go through with the wedding."

She couldn't lie to her brother. "Raoul... there's someone else, I'm sorry." She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "I have to go."

And with that, she bolted out of the church. Snow crunched under her shoes as she ran out into the night, hoping Erik was nearby and she wasn't too late.

"Erik!" She yelled. She waited, looking around and waiting, shivering in the cold.

"Simone," Erik stepped out of the shadows near the church. "You..."

"I'm missing my own wedding, yeah,"

Erik's usually stoic face cracked into a smile. He kissed her deeply.

"We have to get out of here before my brother sees you," Simone said. "He'd kill you on the spot if he knew I was running away with you of all people."

Erik gestures towards the getaway carriage, which had two horses attached to it. "Think we could take one of those?"

Simone grinned as Erik unhooked a bag gelding from the carriage. He mounted and pulled her up behind him. Together, they took off into the night.

Simone felt a rush of adrenaline as she clung to Erik's waist, the cold air stinging her skin.

"Where are we going to go?" She asked.

"I figured we'd lay low for a while, but then maybe go back to Gangle and the others if that's what you wanted."

She held onto him tighter. "I'd like that."

Erik slowed their pace so they wouldn't tire the horse out.

"What made you change your mind?" Erik asked.

"I don't love Émile, it's that simple. I was marrying him out of necessity, but I didn't need to do that anymore. And you showed me a different side of myself, exposed me to experiences I never would have had just sitting around in that house being pampered."

"Your leg also almost got chewed off." Erik pointed out.

"I'll have some cool scars, I mean who else can say they've been bitten by a lion?" Simone laughed.

"Glad you're seeing the positives." They rode in silence for a time.

Simone thought she could hear a horse approaching from behind them. Who else was out this late?

She turned to check to see if the other rider was catching up when a gunshot split the air. The next few seconds happened so fast Simone barely knew what was happening. The horse bucked as the bullet hit its flank, and Simone's grip on Erik loosened and she was thrown to the ground and off the edge of the path, which dropped into a steep incline.

"Simone!" Erik yelled. There was another gunshot.

Simone tumbled down the hill, trying to brace herself on anything as she fell. Her head connected with something hard and she blacked out.


	16. Chapter 16

Erik picked himself up off the ground, his body cold and stiff. He cried out as he put weight on his left arm, and he discovered the bullet wound in his shoulder. The blood was dried and brown. How long had he been out? The sun had began rising over the trees. The horse was long gone, and he must had hit his head after he was shot and thrown off the horse. Where was Simone? He stood up, his left arm hanging uselessly. She must have fallen into the ravine off the side of the path. Was she even still alive?

"Simone!" He called out, carefully climbing down the side of the ravine. "Simone!" He found her body at the bottom, her head resting against the trunk of a tree, which she seemed to have impacted. She had a massive gash on her forehead and eyes and a bruise had already formed around the wound. How much head trauma had she sustained? He couldn't pick her up, his arm was completely useless.

"Shit," he breathed, looking around. He needed help. He didn't want to leave her here but he didn't have any choice. He awkwardly climbed up the other side of the ravine, looking for any sign of life. He saw a blue cottage in the distance and he prayed to a god he didn't believe in for someone to be willing to help him. He touched his face and realized he had lost his mask in the ravine when he fell last night. He pulled up the hood of his cloak and hoped it would be enough. He picked through the overgrown vines in the yard of the cottage before making his way to the door and knocking, heart in his throat.

A mousy girl came to the door, she was short, with long brown hair that was braided over one shoulder.

"Monsieur?" She asked. "May I help you?"

"Please, Madam, I need help. My..." he stuttered, remembering Simone was wearing a wedding dress. "My wife is hurt, we were in an accident last night and I busted my shoulder and she's unconscious and I can't lift her."

"My god," she pressed a hand to her mouth. "Let me just check with Madam." She shut the door and returned with a woman who Erik recognized immediately.

"Madeleine."

"Erik."

His mother stood in the door way.

"W-what's this about your wife?" She asked, obviously shaken.

"She's in the ravine." There was no time for heartfelt reunions.

"Jessica, please help him get her back here."

The woman followed him, and using his good arm, he helped lift her back to the cottage.

"I'm a nurse." Jessica explained as they set Simone in a bed back at the house. "Madeleine hired me in her old age to help her around."

"And I was lonely. Jessica's mother is a good friend of mine, and Jessica was gracious enough to work for me."

Erik was just surprised his mother had friends. She hadn't aged well. Deep wrinkles had stolen her once delicate beauty, but her eyes-one blue and one green-were as striking as ever. Her white hair was pulled into a loose bun on the back of her head.

Jessica had began applying antiseptic to Simone's face, thumbing back her eyelids and flinching. The white of her eyes were severely bloodshot, and almost appeared to be bleeding.

"Just help her." Erik pleased. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not when he had just gotten her.

"I'll do my best," Jessica assured him. "She's going to have a nasty concussion, but since I'll have to bandage her eyes, we won't have to worry about keeping her in the dark to avoid hurting her head. So we'll just have to avoid making loud noises."

Erik nodded. He locked eyes with Madeleine and she had to avert her eyes.

"You can stay as long as you need, Erik." She murmured. And she dashed away.


	17. Chapter 17

Simone awoke in disoriented darkness. She was somewhere warm and soft, but there was a deep piercing pain in her forehead and her eyes. She tried to get bearings of her surroundings, trying to open her eyes but only finding darkness.

"Hello?" She cries out, suddenly scared. She sat up, and her head spun violently.

"Oh! You're awake!" Said a woman's voice. "Erik!"

"Simone!" An arm wrapped around her, and she recognized Erik's familiar scent.

"Why can't I see?" She asked.

"You hit your head when you fell into the ravine, your eyes are bandages until they have a chance to heal." Erik explained.

"The...the gunshots..." Had Raoul seen Erik and followed them? She didn't want to believe that her own brother had done this.

"It's okay, love. I took a bullet to the shoulder, but Jessica here patched me up just fine. My arm is in a sling."

"When can I have the bandages off?" Simone asked, gingerly exploring the bandages with her fingers.

"In a week or so," Jessica assured her. "Just need to keep out infection."

Simone nodded.

"Okay." She reached out and touched Erik's arm, feeling the sling.

"I'm so sorry, Erik,"

"Shh, Love. It's not your fault." He rubbed her back comfortingly.

"You don't think Raoul did this, do you?"

"I can't say. I could understand why he would want me dead, but to open fire on his own sister just seems insane. And if he did, Raoul is not the man I thought he was."

"I don't think he did do it." Had Émile been behind this? She didn't want to think about it.

"Everything will be okay," Erik put a hand against her face. "I promise."

()

Erik closed the door to the room Simone was staying in, allowing her to rest.

He made his way to the sitting room, where Madeleine was sitting, embroidering idly. She looked up as he entered before continuing her work.

"How did you two meet?" Madeleine asked.

"The circus." Erik said dryly.

"Very funny."

"It's the truth." Or at least, part of the truth. "Look, Madeleine, I'm not looking for some deep heart to heart, I don't want to intrude on your home anymore than I already have. As soon as it's okay for Simone to leave, I'll be out of your hair."

She nodded slowly. "I just wanted you to know that... I'm sorry. The night you ran away, I was ready to step up and be your mother, but I was too late, and I don't blame you if you hate me."

Erik didn't know what to say to his mother. He certainly hadn't been expecting and apology. "Thanks, m-mother." He said awkwardly.

She nodded, working intently on her embroidery.

()

"A lion?" Jessica gasped. "I could never do something like that."

"I didn't think I could do it either, but it was exhilarating." Simone explained.

"How long were you with the circus?"

"A few months." Simone said. "It was the best time of my life." She touched the bandages again absently. "I want to be able to go back to it."

"Hopefully you'll recover in a few weeks and be back before you know it." Jessica said optimistically. Simone could only hope.


	18. Chapter 18

"Time for the bandages to come off!" Jessica said, and Simone felt pressure on the back of her head as Jessica pulled on the gauze. She felt them fall away but nothing happened. Everything was still dark.

"Are they off?" She touched her face, finding that the bandages were indeed off.

"Oh god," Jessica breathed. "Y-your eyes,"

"Simone," Erik's hand touched her chin turning her face towards him. "Oh, Simone."

She jerked out of his grasp. She didn't need his pity. She touched her face, feeling the scars that were healing around her eyes and forehead.

"I...I'm blind," She breathed. Involuntarily, tears began falling down her face.

"Give us a minute." Erik instructed, and she heard the sounds of rustling feet and a door shutting.

"You can't still want me like this," Simone whispered. "Erik, I'm broken."

"Love, I don't care. You're not broken to me. So you can't see, we'll figure it out,"

She placed her hands on his face, gently running her fingers over his deformity. He flinched but let her continue. When she could see, this had made his face difficult to look at, but now... his face had texture and shape.

She took a deep breath. It was time to tell him. "Erik, I can't have children. I can't give you any sons or daughters. Something happened when I was younger..." she wasn't going to gloss over it. "No, I did it to myself."

"What happened?" Erik asked quietly.

"I made some mistakes when I was 16. I got in with this boy who told me he loved me. I gave him too much and I ended up pregnant. When he found out, he took off, and when my family found out... Raoul was the only one who stood by me. But in order to curry favor with my daily again, I had the pregnancy...taken care of." She wiped tears of shame from her eyes. "Something went wrong with the procedure, and the scar tissue makes it impossible for me to ever conceive again."

"Oh, Simone," Erik embraced her with his good arm. "I'm so sorry, love."

She had been bracing herself for judgement and rejection, and when it didn't come she was suddenly overcome with emotion. She cried into his shoulder, her guard finally dropping.

"Simone, we don't need children to be happy. And if we do, we can adopt. There are plenty of kids in France that need homes."

She pulled away from him, wiping her eyes. "How can I be a mother if I can't see?"

"We could get help. Hire a nurse, like my mother did with Jessica. We could do it, Simone. I want to be with you, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen. I love you."

She was stunned by the words. She wondered if their near death experience had shaken up these deep romantic feelings in him.

"I love you too," she admitted, holding onto him. "God help me, but I do."

"What do we do now? Where do we go?"

"I don't know."

She sighed heavily. "I want to go home."

"To Raoul?" Erik demanded.

"I have a house. The one you took me from. Raoul isn't going to like you being there, but I want to be where I'm familiar."

Erik considered for a long time.

"I want you to be happy. But don't blame me if things between your brother and I come to blows."

"Erik!"

"I don't have anything against him," Erik said defensively. "It's him who's going to have the problem. I don't blame him though."


	19. Chapter 19

With Jessica's help, Simone entered her home. The air was cold and smelled dusty, like no one had been living there for a while.

"Raoul? Émile?" She called, carefully crossing the threshold, clutching Jessica's arm. When no one answered she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Emilie?" She called, wondering if any of the staff still lived there. Still, she was met with silence.

"Jessica, go fetch Erik please." Simone murmured, making her way to the living room, tapping her cane to make sure she didn't run into anything. Erik was waiting at Madeleine's, in case Raoul had been hanging around. She bumped into a table, and she heard something glass wobble. She braced herself on the table, hoping whatever it was didn't fall; the last thing she needed was glass on the floor where she couldn't see it. She made her way over to the fireplace, running her fingers over the texture of the brick hearth. She wanted to light a fire since it was so cold in here, but even if she wasn't blind she probably wouldn't have been able to do it without help.

When she had been engaged to Émile, she had worried this house was going to be a tomb, that she would be trapped here. Now she was. She couldn't go anywhere without someone helping her, and even if she dod go out she wouldn't be able to enjoy the world. She couldn't see anything.

Rage swelled up in her chest. Was she always going to be so useless and broken?

She moved back to the table and grabbed the vase she had almost knocked over, tears streaming down her face as she smashed it against a wall. She heard it shatter and she fell to the ground as the pieces hit the floor. She screamed with anger, gripping handfuls of her hair.

"Simone?"

She jerked her head up. "Who's there?"

"Simone, it's me, what are you doing here? A neighbor saw you enter and came to get me."

Raoul.

"Go away, Raoul," She turned her head away, trying to cover her face with her hair.

"No, not until I get an explanation for what happened the night of the wedding."

"Raoul, please."

"Why won't you look at me?" He demanded, his foot steps drew nearer and nearer until he drew level with her. "Simone!"

"Stop!" She yelled, turning her body away from him, still on the floor. She tried scooting away, but her hands were met with a stabbing pain as glass bit into her palms. "Shit!"

"Simone!" Raoul grabbed her wrists and turned her. She could feel his breath on her face. "God, Simone. Your face...your eyes... what happened?"

"I'm blind, Raoul. Someone chased me down with a gun and my horse threw me into a ravine."

"A g-gun?" Raoul stuttered. "God, Simone, I'm so sorry." He took her face in his hands.

"Raoul, you need to leave,"

"No! I'm never letting you out of my sight again, not after you were kidnapped and especially not now."

"Raoul, I don't need you to protect me anymore. I'm okay."

"Obviously." He had began to pull the glass out of her hands and dabbing away the blood with a rag. She hissed in pain but let him continue.

"Raoul, the man I'm with now, you wouldn't approve."

"Just like our family doesn't approve of Christine? Our sisters are all sure she just some floozy looking for money, Philippe doesn't approve either. Simone, I don't care as long as he makes you happy."

"You say that now," she muttered. "Raoul, please just trust me."

"I don't understand why you're so jumpy."

"Simone?" Erik called from the other room.

Raoul's hands stiffened. "I know that voice."

"Raoul, please." She tried to grab his arms but was unable to due to the cuts. He jerked away from her.

"Shit," she heard Erik curse.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Raoul demanded, and she heard something heavy being slammed against the wall.

"Stop!" Simone screamed. She scrambled to her feet, following the sound of the commotion and only running into one wall. There was the sound of skin on skin, like one was hitting the other. "Raoul! Erik!"

She pulled on one of their shirts, ignoring the pain in her hands. "Stop it!"

"I won't fight you, vicomte." Erik said. "I don't want to cause you anymore pain."

"Then why are you here?" Raoul hissed. "Why can't you just leave me any my family alone?"

"Raoul, stop!"

"I should have killed you in the graveyard, I should have..." Raoul's voice cracked.

"Brother, please." Simone whimpered.

Raoul seemed let Erik go, backing away from where he stood and into Simone.

"Erik!" Simone went to where she thought he was, bumping into his chest. She felt at his face. His mask was gone and his left eye was swollen and his lip was bleeding.

"I'm fine." He put his hands on her hips. "It's nothing I don't deserve."

"Simone. You can't be serious. This is the man you want to be with?!"

"I'm sorry. I can't help who I fell in love with." Simone said through gritted teeth. "I thought you'd understand that."

"Simone, do you know what he's done?"

"I know, Raoul, I know."

"And you're just willing to forgive and forget? To put aside all the psychological trauma he put my wife and me through?"

"There is nothing I can do to ever make me worthy of Simone, and if she ever wanted to leave me I would let her go quietly. But for some reason she chose me, and as long as she'll have me I won't let her go."

"Please try to understand."

Raoul seemed to be at a loss for words. They finally he said, "You sure know how to pick 'em sis." She heard the rustling of his hair, like he was combing it with his fingers.

"You are on thin fucking ice, OG. If I so much as hear a whisper that your hurt my sister or anyone else, I'm going to kill you and that's a promise. But I value my sister and her happiness too much to try and take you away from her. But I swear to god, I will track you down to the ends of the earth and find you."

"It won't come to that. I promise you." Erik assured Raoul, keeping his voice cool and level. "I'm a different man."

"We'll see about that." Raoul muttered. "Simone, what if he's the reason you got shot. He was with you when you ran away from the wedding, right?"

"Yes..."

"What if someone saw him and recognized him?"

Simone shook her head. "That's all over now. Whoever shot at us that night didn't care enough to pursue us for long after we got shot, so they won't care enough to find us now."

"I still don't think you're safe alone here."

"She's not alone." Simone felt strong arms wrap around her.

"The thought of you being here isn't exactly comforting."

"She'll have me too." Jessica's voice.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a nurse. Simone wanted to hire me so that I could help her get around."

Simone had never asked Jessica to do that, but was glad to have someone familiar around to help, someone she trusted.

"What about Madeleine?" Erik asked.

"It was her idea." Jessica supplied. "And I'd like to be out of those woods for a while."

"Thank you, Jessica." Simone said gratefully.

"Sorry I didn't help when these two were fighting, I'm no good with confrontation."

"It's okay." Simone laughed. "Raoul, I'll be okay."

Raoul picked her up in a crushing hug. "I do these things because I love you I hope you know that."

"I know, Raoul. I know."

That night was the first night Simone and Erik were alone together and were able to sleep in the same bed. Before it had been hammocks, and then they were with Madeleine, Erik had slept on the couch. But that night, she got Erik all to herself.

Simone fumbled with the buttons on the back of her dress, before Erik came to her rescue and helped her out of the gown, planting soft kisses on her shoulders as he went.

"Do you want me to leave while you change into your dressing gown?" He asked.

"No," Simone blushed. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I may need help." She considered calling Jessica in to help, but decided against it.

"I'm happy to help," he wrapped his arms around her, and she could feel the blood beneath her skin rising to the surface. He turned her to face him, kissing her deeply and passionately. His hands crept up her curves, moving slowly and deliberately. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on tip toe and leaning into him. She wanted more of him, she wanted all of him.

"Wait," she pulled away as he began pulling off her dress. "Shouldn't we wait until we're married or something?"

"I don't need some man in a priest's costume to tell me what I can and can't do with the woman I love," Erik said. "And I do recall a drunken you propositioning me. But if you don't want to..."

"I never said that,"

Erik kissed her again, and she could feel his smile on her lips. He lifted her up suddenly then set her down gently on the bed.

"I love you," he whispered, hovering over her.

"I-love you too," her heart raced with anticipation. She pulled his mask off and ran her fingers over his face, feeling the rough and pitted texture of his deformities. He put his hand over hers, leaning into her palm. She could feel his hot tears fall onto her fingers.


	20. Chapter 20

Erik hummed to himself as his quill scratched over the parchment. He didn't know if the music he was writing was any good, but it had been a long time since he had been inspired and he wasn't going to waste it. He'd have to test it out on the piano later.

"Monsieur Erik?" Jessica tapped on the doorway of the study Erik had taken over.

"Yes, Jessica?" He turned in his chair.

"There's a woman at the door."

"I'll deal with it." Erik stood, setting his quill aside. Simone was upstairs resting and he didn't want to bother her unless he had to.

Christine Daae herself stood on the porch, waiting patiently.

"Christine." Erik said with surprise. He couldn't help but notice the gentle curve of her belly.

"Erik." She said cooly. "May I come in? I wanted to speak with you and Simone."

"Of course," Erik stepped back and let her cross the threshold. She sat in the living room, looking nervously around the room.

"Raoul doesn't know I'm here. I only just heard from him that you were living here, and it's been three months."

He was surprised Raoul even told her at all.

"I can imagine that he didn't want to upset you, especially given your condition," Erik sat across from her. "I imagine you don't want me here either."

"I'm sure you believe I hate you, like a Raoul does, but I don't, Erik. You were my only friend in a time where I had none. If you hadn't been my teacher, I would have never found Raoul. Even after all the hell you put me through, I wouldn't change any of it if it meant I wouldn't have the life I do now. I'm just glad you're happy. And glad you've changed."

"I like to think I have." Erik said.

"Is Simone around? We really haven't had a chance to talk since she's been away and all."

"She's resting right now but I'll see if she's up to coming down."

Simone was laying awake on her bed, staring into the darkness. She had told Erik she was tired, and she was. She had suddenly become dizzy and disoriented, and figured it was best if she take it easy, but she was frustrated. Was her life always going to be like this?

The door opened.

"Love? Christine wants to see you, are you up for it?"

"Yeah," Simone sat up and reached for her cane.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"A little, yeah." She hadn't really had a chance to speak to her sister in law, and in all honesty she'd kind of been avoiding it.

She made her way down the stairs carefully and to the sitting room where she knew Christine would be.

"Simone," Christine embraced her, and she returned the gesture. The two of them sat after a moment.

"So, you and Erik, huh?" She said after a few moments. "Simone do you know what you're getting yourself in to?"

"I've got a pretty good idea," Simone nodded. "Erik and I have been through a lot Christine, he's done and said things, but then he's also been a better man, and I'm okay, really."

"Well then I'm happy for the two of you."

"Thanks, Christine."


	21. Chapter 21

Simone pressed her fingers into the keys as Erik instructed and the piano played the notes beautifully.

"I haven't touched this thing in years!" Simone laughed. "I think I've completely forgotten how to play."

"I'm sure the muscle memory is still there." Erik said, standing behind her and guiding her hands over the keys. He pressed her fingers down before moving them over. "Try and play something."

She sighed and tried to pull up her piano lessons from the deep recesses of her mind. She began to play choppily and slowly, steadily gaining confidence.

"See? You got it. You don't need to see to play." Erik set his chin on her head, wrapping his arms around her torso.

"I need to learn some better songs though,"

"You'll learn. And I'll be the one to teach you."

"Thanks, Erik."

()

"Where are we going?" Simone asked as they bounced up and down in the carriage. "You still haven't told me."

"You'll see." He teased. "Or I guess you won't. Just wait a little while longer, you're going to love it, I promise."

Gravel crunched beneath Simone's feet, and familiar smells wafted towards her nose.

"Simone!" She heard a familiar Russian accident and felt a tight embrace.

"Edith!"

"I'm glad to see you're walking again!" Edith said. "I feared that you had been crippled,"

"I'm doing much better." Simone smiled. She did her best to track where Edith's voice was coming from with her eyes to avoid vacantly staring, but it was difficult. "How's Kosh?"

"We put Kosh down unfortunately," Gangle has joined them. "We couldn't have a lion that attacked people around."

"I'm so sorry," Simone pressed a hand to her lips. "I never wanted for him to die because of what happened to me."

"These things happen," Edith assured her. "Though if you have more of those little wooden carvings, it would be a good way to remember him."

"I'll have to see if I still have any," Simone scratched the back of her neck. She doubted she'd be able to carve anymore.

"I'll be back, Love, I'm going to talk to Gangle," She felt Erik's palm press into the small of her back for a moment.

"Okay."

"So you and Erik?" Edith asked as the two men walked away.

"Yeah," She smiled.

"I thought you two hated each other."

"We hated each other in our own way."

"What does that even mean?"

"I'm not really sure but somehow it makes sense. _We_ make sense."

"I'm glad." Edith said approvingly.

"What have you been doing for the circus?"

"I play with fire now," Edith sounded smug.

"It couldn't be anything less dangerous?" Simone laughed.

"Of course not."


	22. Chapter 22

Simone's hand rested lightly on Erik's arm as he lead her through the orphanage. It was dark and dingy, and the kids who milled around looked gloomy and depressed. The site made Erik's heart ache, wondering what parents could do this to their children. He also reminded himself that some of these children might have also lost their parents, and had had no choice but to end up somewhere like here. Still, Erik knew these kids deserved better than these dark grey halls.

"Infants are right through here. We only have a few of them," The caretaker of the orphanage said, taking them into a small room full of cradles. "It's nap time now so they're sleeping."

Something in the corner of the room caught Erik's eye, and the caretaker saw it too.

"Raydon!" She snapped, and Erik saw that a small boy was huddled by one of the cradles. He had a large port wine stain across his face. "What are you doing in here?"

"Sorry, Madam. It's quiet here." He hastily apologized and scuttled away under her stern eye. She turned her attention back to Simone and Erik. "Take your time."

Simone began to walk next to the cradles, softly tapping her cane to make sure she didn't knock into any of them. Occasionally she stopped, reaching down and touching a small face. "Can I hold them?" Simone asked.

"Of course." The caretaker nodded. Simone lifted the infant from their cradle, holding them gently. The baby had thin blonde hair and a small birthmark in the middle of their forehead. Simone reached out and touched the child's face.

"Who is this?"

"We've been calling her J, she showed up here about a month ago. Mother surrender. Her birthday is sometime in April." The caretaker shrugged. "She's a very quiet thing. Awfully small for her age too. We thought she wouldn't survive her first week here, but she held on."

She yawned widely and opened her eyes. They were a deep brown. She seemed confused by a stranger holding her, and her bottom lip quivered, whining softly. Simone began bouncing her, shushing her gently.

"What do you think, Erik?"

"She's beautiful." Erik murmured.

"Want to hold her?" Simone asked.

"I don't know..." he was afraid of hurting the small child.

"Come on," Simone helped him, depositing the infant into his arms. She yawned again, showing off her gums. Erik expected her to cry when Simone had let her go, but she nuzzled into Erik, small hands reaching up to his face. He lifted her a little, so her pudgy little fingers touched his cheeks. She pulled off his mask and giggled. Erik took to not wearing the mask around the house, but made sure his face stayed covered during outings like this. He heard a muffled noise from the caretaker at the sight of his face, but he ignored her, completely taken with the baby.

"I think we found our girl." Erik murmured, and Simone smiled.


	23. Chapter 23

The caretaker was hesitant to let them take the baby home right away, claiming paperwork and the like, but once Simone had flashed enough money, she was quite happy with letting them take the baby. They left the orphanage new parents.

"What should we call her?"

"Jenna. Jenna Destler."

()

Erik shrugged his cloak off his shoulders as he entered his home. He had a leather folio tucked under his arm, which contained his latest work. Despite the fact that Raoul had done everything in his power to make sure Simone or her new family ever had to work again, Erik wasn't satisfied. He wanted to make his own money, and he wouldn't feel right sitting around all day while Raoul paid his bills. He had began composing again, and was trying to get his music heard, in the hopes he could start making his own way.

"Simone?" He called out.

"In the kitchen." She called back. Erik found her sitting at the table, Jenna in her lap, cooing happily. She was growing so fast. Her blonde hair curled a little at the bottom of her head, and she was able to sit up and support her own head now. Her cheeks and belly were full and chubby, and she had started chewing on everything, indicating the appearance of teeth. She was currently chewing the handle of a wooden spoon.

"Hello, love," Erik kissed his wife and then his daughter. "What are you doing?"

"Baking. Jessica stepped out for a moment, but she should be back soon. I think it's time to take them out of the oven." She bounced Jenna on her leg, and was running her hand over the pages of a book.

"What are you reading?"

"Cyrano," She said. "I'm really happy you were able to find this version of it. Christ it's hot in here."

"It's probably the oven." Erik sat down at the table across from her.

"Probably. Man even my eyes are sweating." She ran a hand under her eyes before returning her hand to the book. Erik noticed the streak of red staining the pages where her fingers touched it. He jumped up, grabbing her hand.

"Are you bleeding?" He asked.

"Am I?"

Erik inspected her hand, unable to find the source of the blood. He looked up at her face and he saw a smudge of blood under her eye. As he watched, another bead of blood formed at the corner of her eye and slid down her face. She reached up again and wiped it away.

"Your eyes," he muttered.

"What?"

"You're bleeding from your eyes." He said, grabbing a handkerchief and dabbing at her face.

"Are you serious?"

"Are you okay? Do you feel different? Do your eyes hurt?"

"I've had a headache for a few days but I've mostly ignored it."

"You should see a doctor."

"Alright." She nodded in agreement.

"How's Jenna been?" Erik ran a hand under his daughter's chin affectionately.

"Good. She's been a good little helper," Simone smiled, but Erik could tell she was worried.

"I'm sure your eyes are nothing," Erik assured her.

"Yeah." She murmured, unconvinced.

()

Erik jerked awake, not really sure what had woken him. He wondered for a moment if it was the baby, running his eyes and looking around. Simone thrashed beside him, moaning in pain. Erik illuminated the room with a lamp, and he saw the blood staining Simone's pillow.

"Simone!" Erik snapped, shaking her awake. "Simone?"

She sat up, holding her head, crying in pain, real tears mixing with the blood.

"I'm going for the doctor."

()

Simone held a towel to her eyes between the doctor checking them. He thumbed back her eyelids and measured the amount of blood.

"How long ago was the accident?" He asked.

"Two and half years."

He shook his head. "And you never saw a real doctor?"

"No sir. I figured once I had gone blind, the worst of the damage has been done."

He shook his head. "What happened was blood clotted behind your eyes, causing you to go blind, but over time it's developed an infection. The best I can suggest is to wash your eyes out three times a day with clean water and when your eyes bleed let it drain as best you can."

"Thank you," Simone murmured. She was silent until the doctor left.

"What are we going to do?"

"We'll do what he says, and you'll get better."

"And what if I don't?"

"You will."


	24. Chapter 24

But Simone didn't get better. Things were okay for the first two months, but then the constant pain started. Every night Simone woke screaming, clawing at her face and eyes, begging for the pain to stop. She laid in bed most days, unable to get up. The doctor was no help, and said the best thing to do was to make her comfortable. But Simone held on. For four months she lived her life in constant agony, spending every lucid moment with Jenna, treasuring the moments before she was bedridden with unbearable pain. There were times she was able to stand a day, other where painlessness lasted an hour. Every week that passed, these periods of relief got shorter and shorter. At night he had to hear her screams of pain. Erik was watching the woman he loved slowly die a painful death, and there was nothing he could do to help her.

Except one thing.

Erik entered the room he shared with Simone. The room smelled like blood, but he was used to it by now. Erik sat at her bedside, setting the cup of tea he'd brought in down on the table next to the bed.

Simone rolled over, responding to the sound of him entering.

"Erik?" She croaked. Her cloudy eyes were red and bloodshot, and her face was smeared with dried blood. It killed Erik to look at her, knowing what he had to do, but he couldn't back down now.

"I brought you tea, love."

She sat up, accepting the cup from him. "Thank you."

Erik ran a hand over her cheek. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Everyday, since you took me from my own wedding." Simone said. "You never let me forget.

"Last I remember, you let me take you." Erik wiped the tears from his eyes. "Do you regret not marrying Émile? Because if you had never left, this never would have happened."

She sipped her tea slowly. "Erik, I don't ever regret leaving him. I would have much rather had three love filled years with you, than a lifetime of loveless ones with him."

Erik couldn't keep back the floodgates. He climbed onto the bed and pulled her into his arms. She set aside the empty teacup and settled onto his chest.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm so tired, Erik."

"Then sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." He picked up a cloth and began to wipe her face, clearing it of blood.

He watched as her breathing slowed, holding her tight and sobbing into her hair. He didn't want to do this, but it was the only way.

Simone died in his arms after just a few minutes. She would never know what was in that tea he'd given her. No one would ever know, except Erik, who would have to live with it for the rest of his life.


	25. Chapter 25

Erik's heart felt like lead in his chest; cold, unfeeling, and heavy. He stood in front of the mansion belonging to his brother-in-law, unable to do what he knew he had to.

"Go on." Jessica murmured, giving him an encouraging look. She held Jenna in her arms.

Erik nodded, knocking on the door. A maid invited them in, bringing them into a sitting room while she retrieved Raoul and Christine.

"Erik, this is a... surprise. Where's Simone?" Raoul said, entering the room, his wife trailing behind.

"Raoul, I'm here about Simone." Erik said.

"Is she feeling any better?" Raoul asked hopefully. "The infection getting any better?"

"Raoul," Erik couldn't look Raoul in the eye. "Simone passed a few days ago."

Raoul's reaction was immediate. He leapt for Erik, slamming him against the wall, hand at his neck. Erik let it happen; he had no strength to fight him. Christine screamed in shock.

"Raoul!" She tried to pull her husband off Erik, but he paid no mind to her.

"Monsieur, please!" Jessica cried out. Jenna began crying loudly.

"This is your fault," Raoul hissed, tears bubbling at the corners of his eyes. "This would have never happened if she hadn't met you."

"You're right," Erik said hoarsely.

"I could kill you right now, your life for hers,"

"You'd be doing me a favor, Vicomte. Just please, not in front of my daughter."

Raoul's hand, the one keeping Erik pinned against the wall, began to shake. Tears poured down his cheeks and his grip weakened. He pounded on Erik's chest.

"You were supposed to- _I_ was supposed to protect her. I was all she had. The only one," He crumpled to the floor, and his wife immediately went to his side, holding him. "I arranged her marriage to Émile, if she hadn't run from the wedding, the gunman-"

"This isn't your fault," Erik said quietly. "It wasn't anyone's fault but the man who made her blind. We did everything we could do for her. Loved her as best we could."

"What about Jenna? You aren't going to raise her all by yourself, are you?" Christine asked, still holding her weeping husband.

"He won't be alone." Jessica said. "I'll be here."

Erik looked to Jessica gratefully. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have had the strength to get through the last few days. Now to find the strength to keep going for the rest of his life.


	26. Chapter 26 (Epilogue)

Erik lifted his head as something woke him up.

"Papa?"

"Jay?" He rubbed his eyes. When his vision adjusted to the light, he saw his daughter standing in the doorway of his room, clutching a doll to her chest. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"I had a nightmare." She muttered. "Can I sleep with you?"

Erik lifted the blanket and moved over, making room for her. She clambered up into the bed, settling in besides Erik.

"I love you, papa,"

"I love you too, Jay." Erik said sleepily.

-The End

Keep an eye out for the sequel, a Ray of Light!


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